Deceased Love
by thatgirlJ
Summary: From an outsider's point of view, it seems that Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy have a picture-perfect life filled with aristocratic nights, together with their baby, the adored Draco Malfoy. But it wasn't always like this. Narcissa had loved someone before Lucius, even when they were already engaged. Here's to learning and losing the meaning of true love. OCxNMxLM.
1. Prologue

_I'm not the type of person who likes to look back into their past and reminisce. Nostalgia is a thing for the fickle-minded. I am not fickle-minded._

_But is it considered reminiscing if your mind does it of its own accord? I do not want to remember these memories. They have always haunted me as I slept, as I walk by any body of water, as I read a book… it is a vicious cycle._

_I used to close my eyes, and a startling blue would fill up my vision, pulling me back to my past... to him, until just blinking would be such a terrifying action for me._

_But that was then. A couple of years ago. Now, as I close my eyes to succumb to slumber, I see only black. Like my memories of him, the color of his eyes have started to remove itself from my mind._

_And isn't this what I wanted? What I anticipated? What Lucius had always told me when he comforted me?_

_But my mind can only do so much when my heart simply cannot forget. My mind can only make so many excuses until my heart storms in and reminds me that I once felt real happiness. Real love. Real everything._

_He was my everything._

_Of course, it was precisely because of that reason that he will never be mine. He became too important to me, too significant, and we weren't careful enough._

_He was ripped away from my hands. Everything that's held more importance to me than him has been taken away from my grasp. I'm not surprised that he went that far, though. Lucius has always been a selfish man._

_Even during our years in Hogwarts, he liked to keep the things that held significance to him on a leash._

_And I was wearing the tightest leash of them all._

* * *

"Mother?" Draco whispered as he opened the door to his parents' bedroom.

"Mmm. My son? Is that you?" I replied, instantly sitting up from my bed.

"Is… is father here?" Draco cowered behind the bed post.

I switched on the night lamp and beckoned him to come closer. "No, dear. Your father is out doing work."

He immediately jumped inside the bed with me. 'Mum, I can't sleep. Can you tell me a bedtime story?"

I pulled him into my lap. "Let's see. I've got a really interesting one, but it's quite a long story. Would you like to hear it?"

Draco looked at me with his curious and child-like eyes. "I'm waiting," He said with impatience.

I chuckled in response, before tightly closing my eyes to let the memories flood back to me.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy and girl who had met under rather quite unfortunate circumstances…"


	2. One - The Beginning Of The End

I know it's a bit hard to imagine Lucius and Narcissa in their younger years… what I did with this was I imagined Lucius to be Alex Pettyfer (because it's been said that he was quite the ladies' man back in Hogwarts) and Narcissa to be Taissa Farmiga (because a) she's younger than Alex, b)she looks aristocratic but in an isolated way you know what I'm sayin?, and c) just imagine her with black hair okay) so I hope it'll be easier for everyone to recreate the scenarios in their head! Have fun reading, and please don't forget to leave a review if you can!

_Narcissa Black_

"Are you ready to leave, Miss Narcissa?" The slave elf nervously asked as it barely carried her numerous and, without a doubt, extremely loaded, luggages. It was the start of the school year for Hogwarts once again, and it was already Narcissa's sixth year.

"I will be if you quit pestering me, you insolent elf." She snapped as she took a last look at her massive bedroom. She decided that she's going to miss her gigantic sleeping quarters—she cursed at how she can't be transported to and from Hogwarts on a daily basis. What a tragedy it will be to once again live in those awful dungeons.

She took one last look at her room before exiting it with her head held high and body gracefully straight.

She is Narcissa Black, a pureblood in every sense of the word, with her black-as-night hair, porcelain white skin, disarming grey eyes, and overwhelming distaste against those with blood less purer than hers.

It's unfortunate she can't have that request, but the fact that she can have everything else has slightly comforted her.

Well, except for one more thing.

She prayed to Merlin that she could break off her engagement with Lucius Malfoy. But that's nonnegotiable, unfortunately.

And a stupid thing to wish for, honestly.

She slowly walked down the grand staircase as she watched her sisters lounge around, waiting for her. "Look who finally showed up," Bellatrix lazily said as she stood up from the couch facing the enormous fireplace.

"Excellence can't be rushed," Narcissa replied coldly as she descended down the staircase. The Black Manor was something else indeed—dark green was accentuated everywhere, and grand pieces of furniture were used. Nothing short of excellence, as anyone would describe anything that the Blacks owned. The Blacks even rivalled the house Malfoy in terms of extravagance.

"Then you must be beyond excellent, my dear Cissy, because I've finished preparing long before you did." Bellatrix raised an eyebrow as Narcissa reached their level. She highly doubted that, since Bellatrix barely even brushes her hair.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Bella, not even Rodolphus would call you perfect."

"Why you little—"

"Sisters, please stop bickering. Let's just leave already, yes?" An exhausted sigh left Andromeda's lips as she watched her two sisters argue once again about the most trivial things.

Narcissa raised an eyebrow against her older sister. "You're excited for school?"

"Hogwarts is bollocks. The only fun thing worth doing there is making fun of those worthless mudbloods!" Bellatrix laughed hysterically.

"Don't get carried away, Bella." Narcissa rolled her eyes.

"When did she ever not?" Andromeda mumbled sarcastically.

Bellatrix suddenly faced her. "What did you say, you coward, mudblood-loving bitch?"

Andromeda flinched but kept her stand. "You always get carried away when you hurt muggle-borns even though they haven't—"

"What are you three still doing here? If you don't leave soon, you'll miss the train." Druella, the mother of the three sisters, appeared from the balcony of their second floor. "Be good now, and don't cause too much trouble. I'm looking at you, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix went a sudden transformation from her usual lunatic self to a very polite and obedient daughter. "Why, I wouldn't even dare!" She smiled sweetly as she looked up to her mother.

Andromeda rolled her eyes while Narcissa remained stoic.

"What a jolly year this will be, I bet." Narcissa sighed unintentionally.

Andromeda gently nudged her shoulder against her sister's. "Hey, at least you'll have Lucius with you."

Narcissa glared at her icily. "That really doesn't bring me any comfort at all."

Bellatrix sneered at her. "Just stop rejecting Lucius already, Cissy."

Narcissa briefly closed her eyes and had a flashback of memories between her and Lucius that made her want to kill herself.

She opened her eyes and glared at her idiotic sister. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

—

"Cissa, oh how I've missed you! How was Italy?" Narcissa received a bone-crushing hug from Bertha as they entered their compartment in the train. Bertha Jorkins was a perky sixth year brunette who looked pretty decent, Narcissa supposed, but had the brains of the daftest witch she's ever met. She's a Slytherin, though, and not to mention Bellatrix's closest friend, so Narcissa doesn't really care having her in the compartment with them.

Narcissa sat at the seat nearest to the window and stared at the noisy sixth year. "It was boring. There was a lot of water."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes as she entered after Bertha, with Andromeda behind her. "Cissy never has fun during our family vacations."

"Bella!" Bertha lividly screamed as the two best mates hugged each other fiercely. It's rather hilarious, really, how they so openly refer to each other as best friends when they frequently stab each other in the back. Or maybe that's how close friends act towards one another. Narcissa didn't really have a clue.

Having close friends is a ridiculous notion for Narcissa, and she deemed most of the students in Hogwarts unworthy of her time anyway.

"Are they always like this?" Andromeda whispered as she gingerly sat beside her.

Narcissa looked at her older sister with dry amusement. "You act as if you've never seen them like this before."

"I usually leave this compartment before they meet, but I guess couldn't leave fast enough this time, huh?" She looked apologetic.

Narcissa's lip slightly rose up before returning to its usual seriousness. "You join your mudblood friends, yes?"

Andromeda slightly slumped her shoulders then looked at the spectacular view of lush forests as the train zooms past them. "I hate their crowd, and you know it's wrong how they treat them." She whispered with a slight tremor in her voice, but Andromeda sounded sure of what she said.

Narcissa stared at her sister. She's always known Andromeda was a kind person, an unusual trait for the Blacks, but isn't she going a bit too far with this one? She's acting like their disgraced cousin, Sirius, who's also currently attending Hogwarts now. Sirius is the only Black to have ever diverged from the Slytherin tradition, as everyone knows. He was sorted to Gryffindor, and that's that last thing Narcissa heard about him.

Narcissa didn't care much for mudbloods, but she fiercely cared for Sirius, for he was one of her very few real friends when she was a kid. To pretend that she loathes him was harder than she thought it would be.

Narcissa shook her head at her. "Stop talking nonsense, Andromeda."

"I know you agree—" At that moment, Lucius Malfoy, Rodophus Lestrange, and Severus Snape entered the compartment, with a bunch of Slytherin girls following behind them.

Andromeda stopped talking and sent a worried look towards Narcissa. Even Bellatrix and Bertha calmed themselves to cast pensive glances towards her.

The whole compartment has gone silent. It's always like this whenever Lucius and Narcissa find themselves amongst each other's company. Really, everyone needs to stop overreacting. They don't know what happens when Lucius and Narcissa are left alone, but sometimes Narcissa would slip up and her wrist would be exposed from her robes, and they would have a horrible guess—a guess they hope was farthest from the truth. And so they await in silence, wondering if something interesting will happen between Hogwarts' most famous couple.

Narcissa felt a familiar sting cut through her chest. Just seeing his figure hurts her—this isn't how engaged couples are supposed to feel, and yet Narcissa has felt like this ever since they became engaged. She's constantly hurting not because of Lucius' numerous acts of infidelity, she could care less about that, but because of this almost obsessive possessive streak Lucius has inflicted upon her. She's not allowed to talk to any male wizard that isn't him or in their circle of friends. There are many more stupid rules like that. If she does break any of the rules set for her, he punishes her. Most would immediately say yes if the Lucius Malfoy would even consider sleeping with them, but not Narcissa. She takes extreme care of her body, and intimate acts are very personal for her, so she naturally she doesn't want to sleep with Lucius, no matter how attractive or popular or rich or pure his blood his.

But it wasn't always like this. Lucius wasn't always this horrid to Narcissa—there was a time the two would agree on almost everything…

"Narcissa, love." Lucius regarded her with a careful eye, casually sending away his female followers with a flick of his wrist. Narcissa blinked at him a few times before intentionally regarding the person behind him.

"Severus, how are you?" Narcissa spoke clearly. Once again, the compartment has gone silent. She had obviously ignored the Slytherin Prince's greeting, and everyone feared for themselves at that moment. Lucius' wrath is a thing to behold, and Narcissa knew she probably shouldn't have done that, but there's nothing she loves more than embarrassing Lucius in public.

Severus shuffled inside the place and smiled at her. "Hello, Narcissa. I'm doing well. How was summer break? I heard you went to Italy."

Severus is sort of Lucius' mentee, which makes him clearly part of their inner circle of friends, so she's allowed to talk to him, at least. Really, if Narcissa thought about it, Severus is her only friend in this compartment. Or in their circle of friends. Or in life at the moment, if she's being completely honest. It helps that they're the only two sixth years in there, but it's mostly pleasant to get to converse with someone not trying to compete with your level of stature in society.

Narcissa leaned back and offered him a genuine smile. "Yes, we did visit Italy. Won't you sit down with us, Severus?"

Severus looked at Lucius, seemingly waiting for his approval, but Lucius was just smiling and staring at Narcissa. With one look at Andromeda, she immediately scooted over so that he could sit beside his fianceè.

Narcissa tensed but otherwise went back to her stoic facade. Severus went and sat across from her, as Bellatrix and Bertha finally sat beside him.

"And no hug for me, Bella?" Rodolphus made what he believes to be a charming smile. Bellatrix loudly squealed and lunged for him.

Lucius casually put an arm over her shoulder as if they were a couple like any other. "My lovely fianceè. How have you been?" His voice sounded charming and sweet, surely to woe the other women in the compartment, of course—except Narcissa. He knew that she hated how he would pretend to be a sweet and loving fiancé when he is the exact opposite of that.

But Narcissa was, if not, a extremely proud person. She would never let anyone see her pride or dignity be put down, not even Lucius.

She turned to face him, and was greeted with a sudden kiss. Narcissa closed her eyes and numbed herself in order to ignore the stubborn throb in her chest. She hates him, she really does.

Their lips parted as they stared at each other, icy blue eyes meeting startlingly grey ones. "Really, it never fails to brighten up my day whenever I kiss you. It makes up for all the other girls I've kissed earlier who were doing a horrid job at it." He said this without breaking their stare, and Narcissa could only smile.

"Anything for my charming fiancé." She said it with such coldness that she knew she was going to get it later. Screw it, Narcissa bitterly thought.

Lucius' eyes slitted for a second before he went back into character. He faced the other people in the compartment with a bewitching smile, Narcissa would assume. "Bellatrix, Andromeda—since I cannot trust my dear fiancee to entail an engaging story about your trip to Italy, I'm sure one of you could divulge this information?"

Andromeda squirmed in her seat, uncomfortable with the sudden attention. "It wasn't really—"

"We had loads of fun!" Bellatrix giggled, ignoring Andromeda.

Andromeda sighed then stood up. "I'm going to go… buy chocolate frogs," she finished lamely.

"We all know where you're really going, you mudblood-lover!" Bellatrix laughed hysterically as Bertha joined her in making fun of Andromeda.

Narcissa caught Andromeda's eye. She bleakly smiled at her Narcissa, then left the compartment, silence once again filling the room.

"Finally," Bellatrix leaned back in her chair, as if it was all Andromeda's fault that she's been feeling tense this whole time. "My traitor sister finally left us."

Narcissa observed Bellatrix as she spat horrible and untruthful things about Andromeda. Not so long ago, the three of them got along quite fine, like any other typical sisterhood, she would assume. But once Andromeda showed sympathy against the elves and mudbloods that Bellatrix would constantly torture and make fun of, that's when everything changed. Even Narcissa couldn't do anything when Bellatrix unleashed her anger on their sister.

Don't get her wrong—Narcissa wanted to do something, but she wouldn't really have done anything. Why would she side with the wrong sister, after all? She doesn't even understand how Andromeda could possibly side amongst… them. Just the thought of it gave way to goosebumps on her arms.

"Something wrong, love?" Lucius whispered to her ear as he gently stroked her now goose-riddled arms. Strange how his whisper reminds her of a snake hissing at its victim, ready to swallow her whole.

Narcissa extracted her arm away from his grasp. She faced him then cradled his cheek with her right hand. "I'm going to walk around for a little while. Is that alright with you, love?"

Narcissa internally cringed at the term of endearment after she said it. She didn't mean to call him that, but it was a force of habit, she supposed.

Lucius' face softened as he met her eyes. He always liked it whenever Narcissa would cozy up to him—almost like they really held affection for each other. Even if it was for just a moment.

"Go ahead, love. Take your time."

Narcissa stood up and left the compartment, eager to ease herself from Lucius' tight clutches. She noted that a number of students quickly moved out of her way when they saw her, surely because they thought they don't deserve to walk the same pathway as her.

Narcissa's head tilted upwards just a bit more.

As she made her way to an aimless journey towards the end of the train, she spotted a few familiar faces—Evan Rosier, the Weasleys, and, wait a second, was that Andromeda—

"Cissa!"

Sirius Black appeared in front of her face, in all his handsome glory. If Lucius is all fair hair and icy blue eyes, Sirius is known for his stark black hair and brooding blue eyes. Narcissa's parents even considered to arrange a marriage between her and Sirius. Thankfully, they didn't pursue that course.

It was hard trying to keep in touch with Sirius in the past few years, though. Ever since he spoke of his sentiments towards the muggleborns, his family, and by extension, Narcissa's family, avoided discussing him at all costs—much like what they are now doing with her sister, Andromeda.

But she and Sirius have always been close. Some would think that they were too close—but of course, it was all very platonic. There might have been a time when things started to go to the other direction, but eventually, things didn't.

So here they were. Narcissa allowed herself to smile a little, let herself loose a bit. "Sirius. You surprised me!"

Sirius charmingly smiled at his cousin. "I can't help it. You looked like you were spacing out."

She remembered her thoughts before bumping into him and her mood instantly started to darken again. "You know we shouldn't be seen talking to each other, cousin," she said with a formal tone.

Sirius quickly grabbed her wrist and led her inside a compartment room. "Sirius, what in the world—"

"Blokes, my cousin, Cissa, will stay here for a while. You don't mind?"

Narcissa looked around the room and spotted a few familiar faces. There was that Potter lad, who started frowning at him. She can't seem to ever remember his first name. Was it John? Jonathan?

"Ah, the Slytherin princess has graced our compartment, has she?" Remus snickered, along with the lad beside him.

Sirius gave him a hard glance which immediately shut him up.

"Sirius, please, there's no need for this." Narcissa said, but truthfully she felt thankful that he took her away from all the prying eyes of the other Hogwarts students.

"I want to help you, Cissa, even if it's just like this," He said bitterly. Ever since Sirius drifted away from his family, Narcissa's parents forbade her from seeing him ever again, so they haven't hung out or simply talked like this for almost seven years now.

If they weren't around his friends, she would have hugged him. "If it's only for a few minutes, then I suppose Lucius won't miss me that soon." She gave him a small smile.

Sirius grinned his wolfish smile. "That's the spirit! Now, on to the introductions—I'm assuming you don't know any of them?"

She looked at the three faces staring back at her. "You're that Potter person, correct?" she pointed at the lad who was wearing glasses.

"Indeed, I am. My name's James Potter, and I believe we should have met before, in balls and such, but we didn't, because Lucius likes to keep you all to himself, doesn't he?" He smirked.

Sirius smacked his head. "Shut up, you idiot."

The one beside him stood up and reached for Narcissa's hand, eagerly shaking it, then kissing the back of her hand.

Narcissa quickly retreated her hand. "I'm Peter Pettigrew, and I think it is such an honour to meet the Ice princess. Shall I call her your highness?" He gave his friends a look of pure confusion, which caused them all to laugh, but Narcissa remained stoic.

The man nearest to the window gave her a mock salute. "I'm Remus Lupin. I believe that I am the recipient of all those talks with Sirius where he implicitly told me how much he's missed you."

Narcissa raised an eyebrow towards her cousin, but he just gave her a mischievous grin. "Oh, c'mon, I know you missed me too, even if you're positively frowning right now."

She shook her head in amusement. Was she that predictable now?

Sirius grabbed her wrist and pushed the sleeves up a sliver. Yellowing bruises coloured her pale skin, and she hastened to put the sleeves back in place to cover her wrists.

"I think—I think I should get back to my compartment." She gingerly removed herself from Sirius' grip, and softly smiled at him. She knew that he was worried at how Lucius was treating her, has been treating her for the past few years, but there's nothing he could do about it either way, anyway.

It was rare for Narcissa to smile, let alone give a soft smile, but it seems that no matter what she thinks of Sirius, she can't make herself hate him, because they used to be very close up until a few months ago

"Are you sure? You don't have to go back in there if you don't want to." Sirius said as he stared intensely into her eyes.

Narcissa patted his hand affectionately. "I'll be fine. Honestly."

"Well… if you say so," He said, with unease clear in his voice.

She frowned at him. "Will you stop worrying about me?" She stood up and abruptly left their compartment, causing her to bump hard into someone.

"Ow—watch where you're going!" Narcissa gingerly touched her head. "Look what you've done to my face! It's going to bruise."

She glared at the idiot who bumped her. There was something awfully familiar about his caramel brown hair. "I'm really sorry about that—Narcissa?"

Narcissa looked at the boy in front of her.

It can't be… can it?

"… Otto?" Narcissa was dumbfounded.

It couldn't be him.

He smiled crookedly, which made her remember all her memories with him. She cherished those times, and those were one of the very few things she wouldn't allow Lucius to hold against her. But that was then. Things are different now. He shouldn't even be here. What was he doing here?

"What… what are you doing here?" She asked, clearly still shocked.

Otto ran a hand through his hair and Narcissa's heart skipped a beat. "Bagman Sr. thought Hogwarts was better than Durmstrang after all, I suppose."

Before Narcissa's mind was filled with Lucius, and only Lucius… there was Otto Bagman. But that was before he left, before she made decisions, before… everything happened.

Narcissa smoothed down her robe with her slightly shaking hands. "Oh, well, he's right, of course." How and when did this happen? How could his reappearance have been so silent? Surely someone as wildly popular as Otto would have had a tremendous welcome back banner or she would have heard the excited whispers of his annoying admirers. None of her Ravenclaw friends even thought to warn her! Well, when she thought about it, Otto was her only friend from Ravenclaw, so she supposed no one would have told her that news anyway.

Oh, this is honestly ridiculous of me, Narcissa thought.

"I have to go back to my compartment now, Lucius might be looking for me." She cringed at the mention of his name.

He saw her cringe but wisely chose to ignore it. "Is he your betrothed?" He asked quietly, as if he was afraid that others could hear them.

Narcissa's heart immediately went cold. "Yes. It was always going to be him." She said carefully.

Otto looked at her then, his glowing hazelnut eyes against her piercing grey ones. They only shared a look, but it held so much more—their eyes spoke of what their lips could not; about broken promises, childhood dreams, secret memories…

Narcissa sighed, breaking the spell. "It was nice seeing you again, Otto. It's been… too long."

He tilted his head, as if willing her to say more, but she will not.

"The pleasure will always be mine." He smiled, then, a dimple appearing on his left cheek.

Narcissa bumped into him as she hurriedly got away from his presence. She missed him so much,but things aren't the same as they were before, and they obviously aren't the same people as they were when they were kids.

But, merlin, she missed him quite terribly. To see him today, out of all days, made up for months and months of bleakness Narcissa experienced during the summer. Possibly even more.

Narcissa opened the compartment back to her friends with an unconscious smile on her face. She was happy—for the first time in a long time, she truly felt happy, and it was all because she saw Otto again.

Lucius looked at her curiously as she went to sit beside him. "Did something good happen to you?"

She inhaled, then exhaled, deeply, to keep her emotions in check. She sat back down beside Lucius then looked at everyone in the compartment—Bertha, Bella, Severus, and then, finally, Lucius, effectively capturing everyone's attention.

"Otto Bagman is back—I thought you would all hear it from me first than from anyone else." She was proud of herself, because she sounded so nonchalant. Narcissa could have fooled herself.

Lucius grabbed her hand under the table, giving him her attention. "Is that so?" He smiled charmingly, but she knew, more than anyone, what that smile meant. It meant that they were going to talk about this again later, and he wouldn't be nearly as polite as he is now.

Narcissa was afraid he could see the slight panic in her eyes. It terrified her that Lucius knew her, sometimes more than she knew herself. Maybe she fooled everyone else in the compartment, but not Lucius.

"Lucius, please." She quietly replied. She didn't know what she was pleading for, but she knew they understood what each other meant.

Unaware amongst the couple, everyone else was silent in the compartment, quietly witnessing the strange interaction between the two. Even Bella was curiously watching their exchange.

Lucius leaned in to whisper into her ear. "Is that why you were smiling when you got back here, love? Did you enjoy talking to him? I bet you did, didn't you?"

Narcissa's heart was beating quickly again. "Do not leave my side ever again today, do you understand?" He whispered once more, before leaning away from me and smiling in the most charming way that could have fooled anyone, everyone, but not her.

Narcissa didn't reply. She just leaned in and softly kissed his lips. Still ever so soft, so familiar, almost like her own. She still remembered the first time she kissed Lucius, and numerous, numerous times after that, but one thing he didn't know was that he wasn't her first kiss.

She remembered it all like it just happened a few hours ago.

**4 Years Ago**

"Isn't this weird?" Thirteen year-old Narcissa whispered to Otto, as they lay down facing together on a mat under the clear, blue sky. The weather that day was surprisingly fair, given that the Bagman residence was in London. Otto and Narcissa hadn't planned on playing out in the sun, but given the surprise weather, they simply took advantage of it and had a little picnic in his backyard.

The Bagmans, a family of purebloods, were extremely rich. Because of that, the Blacks liked their presence and even let their daughter, Narcissa, have playdates with the other family's eldest and only son, sole heir to their entire family fortune, Otto William Bagman. Those things didn't matter to the kids, though. Narcissa already knew Lucius Malfoy by then, and although there have been talks of the two getting engaged soon, nothing was finalised yet, so she didn't feel tied by down by him or by any obligation. Besides, she had Otto. Otto was enough for her.

No one else, apart from her family, knew of her budding relationship with Otto. Narcissa shuddered at the thought of Lucius finding out about them—even then, Lucius was already possessive of Narcissa.

"Hmm?" Otto sleepily replied, opening an eye to look at her. It always never failed to shock her how startlingly hazelnut his eyes were. It was the most beautiful color; like a mix between caramel, honey and maybe even gold. She could drink in his eyes until the end of time.

Narcissa closed her eyes. "I feel so… much, whenever I'm with you. Does that make sense? What about you?"

Otto opened both his eyes and stared at Narcissa. She blushed from the intensity of his stare. They were only a bunch of fourteen year-old kids, barely even a wizard and a witch. And yet, the bond the two of them have was so strong. Sometimes it was so strong that she couldn't sleep at night because she felt like part of her heart was tugged too far away from her.

He gently caressed her cheek. "Can I kiss you?"

Her heart started beating tremendously fast. She couldn't reply.

He inched closer, so close that now their foreheads were touching and their lips were less than an inch apart.

"I've never felt more alive," He whispered to her lips, before taking them in his own.

Narcissa leaned away from Lucius, ending the kiss.

"It will always be you, my dear Lucius." She whispered to him, almost sadly.

He gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "I know, love. I know."

The two slowly disentangled from each other, only to notice the watchful eyes of their friends. It didn't faze either of them, though. When your relationship with someone has been on display every since it had started, you eventually get used to it.

Lucius took her hand, gently now, and started rubbing his thumb on the back of it. "Severus, you remember Otto, don't you? Why don't you tell him to drop by our compartment, come say hi to some of his old friends?"

Bertha did a small squeal. "Oh yes, I remember Otto Bagman! I fancied him so much back then," she sighed, as if it was such a shame that she didn't fancy him anymore.

"Oh? Then maybe you should rekindle that old flame then, Bertha," Lucius joked, but his eyes were on Narcissa.

She looked outside the window and willed time to stop.

He's only doing this to get to you, Narcissa. Don't let him get the satisfaction of seeing you crumble. You are Narcissa Black.

Severus hesitantly stepped out of his seat, his eyes warily on Narcissa. It was as if he can sense that there's more to Lucius' request than a simple friendly gesture. "I'll get him—and yes, I do remember him," He said, unsure clearly echoed from his voice.

Narcissa turned to him with a blank look in her eyes. "How could you have possibly met him before, Severus? You two were living worlds apart." Compassion was nowhere to be found in her voice; she has decided to store all her emotions a way in a box, careful not to go anywhere near it for now.

Severus blushed slightly at her remark about his family's financial status. "I never said I met him before, I was simply saying that I remember him—he was quite popular, if you all remember correctly." He looked at everywhere but us, stood awkwardly for a couple of seconds, before leaving the compartment, presumably to fetch Otto Bagman.

Bella leaned into the table. "Well, aren't you the least bit excited to see Otto again, Cissy?" She grinned, much like a Cheshire cat. Bella usually reminds her of a Cheshire cat, smiling or not, with her impulsive decisions and highly fluctuating moods.

Narcissa looked back at her with a stoic face. "What's there to be excited about? He hasn't been gone that long." And it was the truth—Otto left only two years ago.

The month after he left, she and Lucius got engaged.

It's not that the Bagmans moved residences or anything like that, but Otto transferred schools, from Hogwarts to Durmstrang. His Father, the pureblood of Otto's parents, wanted Otto to go there, for reasons Narcissa was still unaware of.

Bella sighed, twisting a lock of her hair. "That's true, I suppose," she then turned to Lucius. "Did you know Cissy and Otto were very close back then?"

Lucius raised an eyebrow at that. "Yes, extremely even. I mean, it was such a shame for him to leave for Durmstrang, right, Cissy?" She finished, turning to Narcissa once again.

She knew Bella meant no harm when she said all of that, but still, Narcissa's blood went cold. She had to be very careful with her interactions with Otto from now on, if there will be any. If Lucius will even permit her.

"Yes, well, father rarely let me have friends, and he was one of the very few he allowed me to play with." She swallowed.

She could see his jaw moving, tense, as if he was grinding his teeth together. "Lucius." Narcissa tried to grab his attention.

Lucius looked at her then, and there was a spark in his eyes, and this made Narcissa very frightened of him at that very moment. It didn't matter that Bertha and Bella were in the same room as them; she knew she wasn't safe.

His hand went to the back of her head and started to stroke her black locks. "Tell me, love," He murmured so that only she could hear what was about to say, his eyes still locked on hers. "Have you always been truthful with me?"

2 Years Ago

"Don't be afraid, Cissa. I won't hurt you."

She looked at his blue eyes. She's stared so much into them that she sometimes mistakes those eyes for her own.

Lucius grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards him. "Do you trust me, love?"

Narcissa looked at him and knew there was only one answer to that question. "Yes." She whispered.

He gently tugged on the string holding her robe together, letting it fall into a silky puddle across her feet.

"You are so beautiful," He murmured, gently holding her waist and slowly making his hands work upwards. Narcissa was barely breathing.

He raised her chin so that she could meet his gaze. "This is your first time, right, love?"

She buried certain memories so deep that even she cannot hear the lie in her voice. "Yes. Please be gentle, Lucius." She murmured.

He awarded her with a loving smile, then laid her on his bed, where every part of her can be seen by him.

He proceeded to kiss her; slowly at first, but then his lips started going down her neck, to her breasts… between her legs.

"Lucius, please," Narcissa pleaded as she felt Lucius' tongue in the most sensitive part of her body. She was heavily breathing and writhing around the bed, but Lucius kept his hands firm on her hips.

"You taste so good, my love," He paused from what he was doing to look at her, which can make even Narcissa blush a crimson red.

When she thought she was so close, Lucius stopped. He removed his clothes and towered over her.

"I love you so much, Cissa. Ever since we were kids, I've only ever had my eyes on you." He whispered to me, before taking my mouth with his.

He then eased himself into me, and it was so painful at first because of his length, but she eventually got used to it. "You're doing so great, love," he said, his breath hot as he buried his head on her neck.

Narcissa grabbed his fair hair and moaned. "Lucius, please," she pleaded once more.

He seemed to understand what she meant, because he quickened his thrusts. Her legs tightened around his waist as she scratched his back, while Lucius moaned loudly into her neck as both of them gave in to their release.

Lucius collapsed beside her, ushering Narcissa to lean on his arm.

She cuddled into his chest, spent from their recent activity. "That wasn't so bad for a first time, huh?" He grinned at her.

She rolled her eyes. "It might have been a first for me, but it obviously wasn't a first for you…"

Lucius grabbed her chin. There was an unusual blaze in his icy blue eyes. "I don't like to lie, love, and you know that. So believe me when I say that this was also my first time. I've only ever wanted to do it with you, Cissa, and you know that."

She bit her lip from releasing a painful cry. It was rare for Lucius to show vulnerability, so to admit to her that this was his first time when she lied had a very big hit on her conscience.

Narcissa chose to softly kiss him instead. "I know, love, and you were so wonderful."

He smiled at her. "I love you so much, Cissa. You don't know how much you drive me crazy. I'll never forget this night, and the way you look without your clothes on…"

She laughed at his audaciousness, but she couldn't bring herself to say those words to him. Everything was too recent, too raw. He would know that she was lying if she said those words, so she wisely chose to kiss him instead.

"I am so in love with you, Cissa… won't you say those words to me too?"

Narcissa's heart was palpitating by then, but she has mastered the art of letting her mind control her heart. Logic over emotion. So she responded with casual grace, as to be expected from her. She knew this little act wouldn't work on him, nothing worked on him, but she was putting it up for the benefit of the other people in the room.

"I would never lie to you, Lucius," Narcissa carefully replied, but by then Lucius' eyes turned into such an electric blue that she let out a little gasp.

Lucius grabbed the back of her head and brought his face directly next to hers so that no one but her can see his face or hear what he's about to say. "How dare you lie in front of my face, Narcissa? How dare you make a fool out of me? Do you think I will tolerate this, your heinous lies?" He spit out the last part, so obviously angered, so easily jealous, dear Lucius was.

Narcissa was about to reply when the compartment door opened. Severus entered, and surely enough, Otto was behind him. Her heart was beating fast once again, but this time, she couldn't hide it from Lucius, who was so close to her that her heart must have sounded like loud banging to his ears. "Lucius," Narcissa breathed, so utterly petrified of what Lucius is planning to do next, and yet still desperately pretending that everything was fine and that she and Lucius were just fooling around.

Then, he captured his lips with hers with surprising tenderness.

Narcissa caught Otto's eye, as he was watching the two of them, and closed her eyes. She can't escape this path she's chosen for herself. She and Lucius, they were and always will be entangled with one another, and that is the way it will always be.

"Okay, you two lovebirds, I think that's enough. Don't be rude in front of our visitor!" Bertha spoke rather loudly.

Lucius parted his lips from hers, their eyes simultaneously opening to meet each other. His eyes spoke of what he could not say at that very moment.

_Behave._

_Do not talk to him._

_You are mine._

_You will always be mine._

_Never forget that._

Severus settled down his old seat, which was across Narcissa, while Otto had no other choice but to sit beside Bertha, who was already chatting his face off.

"Otto! It's been so long! Do you remember me?" Bertha said cheerfully.

He smiled politely, his dimples making a short appearance. "Yes, of course, Bertha Jorkins. How could I forget? I've only been gone for two years." He glanced at Narcissa then, wondering if she heard what he said.

Narcissa closed her eyes momentarily. She felt like she was ambushed and had nowhere to go.

Lucius took hold of her hand and gently squeezed it. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt reassured by that surprising act of affection.

"It seems you were quite close to the Blacks, weren't you, Otto?" Lucius asked him, with an unassuming smile.

Otto smiled with ease. "Indeed I was."

"I find it a bit peculiar, then, that I've never seen you around their household?" Bellatrix gave me a look which I refuse to reciprocate. Lucius went on, "Even before my engagement with Cissa, I was always present in their manor. I wonder why we never met then?"

Narcissa knew exactly why they haven't crossed paths before. It was simply because Otto's father, Bagman Sr., refused to let his only son out of his sight. Therefore, he would always ask that Narcissa and the other Blacks visit his manor, which was, without a doubt, bigger and grander than the Blacks.

"My father was a strict man, so instead of me visiting Cissa's manor, she, Bella, and Andromeda would go to mine instead." Otto replied without missing a beat.

Lucius' grip on her hand tightened. "They must not have frequently visited you then?"

Otto leaned backwards, as if to enjoy the scene unfolding in front of him. He turned to Bellatrix with an easy smile on his face. "How many times a week did you use to come by my house to play before, Bella? It can't have only been just once a week, can it?"

Bellatrix grinned. "Once a week? Oh, please, We were there five times a week, at least!" She turned to Lucius with an enthusiastic face. "It was such a shame you and Otto have never met before, Lucius. He and Cissy were so close before, closer than she was with my traitor cousin, Sirius—I bet the three of you would have gotten along spendidly! Right, Cissy?"

Narcissa chuckled. That situation was so amazingly impossible that her stoic facade broke for a few seconds.

"So you and Cissa used to be really close back then?" Lucius smiled, but Narcissa knew that smile. It was the kind of smile snakes would give to their preys before they went for the kill.

Otto truly looked at her then, and with what she knew from all those years they spent together was a sound of resignation, he replied with, "Yes, Lucius. We used to be inseparable."

She can almost hear him continue that sentence in her head: But what are we now? What have we become? Why can we not look at each other's eyes without deep regret and sorrow?

What have you done to us?

**2 Years Ago, A Month Before The Engagement**

It was a cold day, even colder than usual. Narcissa was huddled near the fireplace of the Bagman manor, annoyed with herself that she forgot to bring her coat because she was in a hurry for, apparently, nothing.

"Miss Narcissa, would you like a—"

She whipped her head towards the elf and snapped. "If I needed your help, don't you think I would have asked for it? Bugger on, you insolent elf," She returned to the solace of the fireplace. What was taking him so long? Honestly, this is so ridiculous. She shouldn't have to sit so unladylike just to absorb the warmth of this fire. Now she wouldn't have been in this predicament if she hadn't been rushing—

"Oh, this is a sight. Narcissa Black, the Ice Princess, master of the stoic face, crouching near a fireplace? Is this a nightmare, do you think?"

Her heartbeat went faster almost immediately, but outwardly, she kept her cool. Almost literally, she mused.

She stood up and faced the owner of the voice. Of course, she knew it was Otto Bagman, the only son of Bagman Sr., as everyone likes to call his father. The Bagmans were incredibly rich, even richer than her, which never fails to astounds Narcissa. Otto can probably buy Hogwarts if he wanted to, she thought.

Not only was Otto inexplicably rich, he was also annoyingly handsome. Narcissa would never admit this out loud, but Otto was even better-looking than Lucius or her cousin, Sirius, which is definitely saying something. Unlike Lucius' slicked back white blond or Sirius' artfully messy midnight black hair, Otto's hair is what can only be called a light brown colour, but neatly cut so that his wavy hair was tamed. His hair is paired swimmingly with his hazelnut eyes, which is actually Narcissa's favourite thing about him. His soft, alluring eyes were so different from the electric and icy blue ones she's seen all her life.

He smiled at her, a dimple showing on his left cheek. "You look terrible, Cissa."

She walked towards him, but with a frown on her face. "And whose fault do you think that is? I arrived at your home right on time, which made me forget my coat, by the way, which is why I'm freezing my arse off your stupid cold floors! Honestly, I am not surprised at all that you are late once again—"

He cut her off with a soft kiss on her lips. She could feel his smile when he felt her anger simmer down. She put her arm around his neck and deepened the kiss, wanting nothing more than be close to him as much as possible.

As they slowly disentangled themselves from each other, she could see his usually soft eyes glowing with hunger. "Please stop tempting me like that, love."

She put both her arms around his waist and looked up at him, partly because she dearly missed him, but mostly because she needed his body warmth. "But you've been gone for so long…" Her usual stoic demeanour always melts away whenever she's with Otto. With him, she's lively, talkative, and definitely touchier than usual.

She's constantly annoyed by the fact though, that, even though they were both only fifteen, Otto was already towering over her. He changed their position so that she was now in front of him, with Otto holding her by her waist. "I know... I would have stayed here with you if I could, but you know I don't really have much of a choice." He frowned.

Narcissa smiled softly. "I understand completely."

Otto grabbed her hand and led her towards one of the many love seats in his humongous manor. He sat down first and pulled her towards him, so that now he was looking up at her. "I've missed you so much," The longing in his eyes were so clear and true, that Narcissa knew he wasn't lying.

She held his face lovingly. No other words were needed to be said at this moment. Just the two of them looking at each other's eyes, hazelnut harmonising with an unusually peaceful grey, and all was right in the world once again.

But perhaps not everything was right in this world. Narcissa remembered why she rushed to his manor, so she disentangled herself from him, much to his disappointment, and sat beside him.

"Otto… there's something you need to know," She knew this moment was coming long before she met him, but it never fails to fill her with dread.

He faced her, and when she searched his carefully blank face, she knew that he already knew what she was about to say.

She looked down at their entwined fingers. "My father is growing impatient," she said softly.

Only the slight movements of the surrounding curtains can be heard throughout the silence.

Narcissa looked at him, with pain evident in her eyes. "He wants me to marry Lucius Malfoy.

He's always wanted that for me."

She could see Otto's jaw moving slightly. She would never ask him to to take her hand instead, not when she knew with all her heart that he loved his freedom more than anything.

And she was also afraid that if she asked, he might say no, and the pain she might get from that is something she fears she will never get over for the rest of her life.

"And what do you want, Cissa?" She looked at him when he suddenly replied. His eyes looked so strong and fierce at that moment. She wanted to get lost in them and never return this bleak reality she's fated to live in for the rest of her life.

"I love you, Otto Bagman. Perhaps I have always loved you, even when I despised you the first time we met. I love you with all of my heart, and much more.

But you know and understand as well as I do that duty trumps everything in my family. I have to obey my father's wishes," A tear escaped her left eye, as she let it run across her cheek.

He held her cheek. "But what do you want, my love?"

Narcissa could not control her tears any longer. "You know I can't ask that from my father, and especially from you."

He kissed her trembling lips. "I will give you anything you want from me, Narcissa. You say you despised me the moment we met, but I have only ever loved you. You treat elves like they are nothing but I know as much as you do that you order them around as least as you can because you don't wish to cause them discomfort. You say you agree with your family's belief towards the eradication of muggle borns, yet I know that you secretly spend time with Sirius so that he can talk your ears off about how the muggle borns you are familiar with are doing. You say you wish Andromeda was never your sister, but I've seen you silently help her whenever you can. You can pretend to the entire world, my love, but I can see through everything that you do.

You are so beautiful and clever, but none of those can compare to your heart, which has remained untainted despite the dark armour you stubbornly wear around it. I am so lucky to have seen those parts of you, and I would gladly give away my love for freedom if it meant that I will be with you for the rest of my life."

Narcissa couldn't even think of a response for what he said.

"Please don't marry him, Cissa. Marry me instead."

He fished something out of his pockets. It was a beautiful necklace, and it had easily cost him more than a thousand galleons. It had a simple chain, but instead of a typical pendant, there was a diamond ring.

"So am I supposed to assume that your silence means yes?" He weakly joked.

Narcissa nodded her head and continued to cry. He grinned, and put the necklace on her.

"I'll talk to your father tomorrow. He has to say yes." She looked at him and both their eyes held so much promise and hope for one another.

This is it. Maybe she'll marry the one she loves after all.


	3. Two - It Is What It Is

p class="p1"span class="s1"strongA/N/strong/spanspan class="s2": Thank you, Sephiroth Cresent-Valentine, for your review! I will try my best to update as soon as I can, but, as you may know, the inspiration to write comes and goes when I least expect it. I hope you enjoy this chapter! /span/p  
p class="p2" /p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em"I hate and love. And why, perhaps you'll ask./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"emI don't know: but I feel, and I'm tormented." /em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em― Catullus/em/span/p  
p class="p2" /p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em"Did you ever stop to think that even if I am a monster, I might be your soulmate anyway?" /em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em― Julie Johnson, Erasing Faith/em/span/p  
p class="p2" /p  
p class="p3" /p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" The train had arrived in Hogwarts without a hitch. Although the ride may have been smooth, the air inside Lucius' compartment was not. Otto and Lucius were smiling as if they have found friends in each other, but the air crackling between the two said otherwise. No one, not even Bellatrix, was fooled by their outward appearance. As soon as Narcissa stepped out of that suffocating compartment she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. The atmosphere inside felt like it could have literally choked her to death. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" She glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough, Otto was still there. He wasn't a ghost coming back to haunt her, or a memory that had escaped her dream to devour her. No, he was still alive indeed, and he looked happy, smiling at something Bertha said to him./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em At least one of them was able to smile freely/em, Narcissa bitterly thought./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Are you coming, love?" Lucius looked back at her with a questioning gaze. She smiled a little bit at him tugging at their entwined hands, obviously impatient, but it was subtly endearing, and so she let him lead her towards the exit of the train. There were many students who were also exiting their compartments, but they all made way when they saw the couple in their midst. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius gave them all a faint smile, but all Narcissa saw was a man drunk on power. Lucius has had everything handed to him on a silver platter, Narcissa being one of those courses. But over those many years of being with him, after seeing the ugliest and most atrocious side of him, she can't seem to bring herself to truly hate Lucius. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" She searched his face as they stepped outside the train. Perhaps, after knowing him all her life, he may have won the battle after all./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"./span/p  
p class="p1"strongspan class="s2"2 Years Ago, A Month After The Engagement/span/strong/p  
p class="p2" /p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em "Cissa!" Lucius slammed the door open leading to Narcissa's bedroom, with Bellatrix behind him./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Bellatrix was pulling on his arm. "GO AWAY, LUCIUS! Didn't I tell you Cissy's sick? You don't want to catch whatever she's got, do you?" She shouted hysterically, forcing him to leave her room./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em But Lucius did not budge. Ignoring Bellatrix's shouts, he strode across the room and stopped in front of the chair facing the window, where Narcissa was sitting primly on./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Never in his life had Lucius seen Narcissa in such a disarray. She was alway so clean, and classy, that her appearance at that very moment shocked him very much. Her hair was in a messy braid, her grey eyes were muddy and bloodshot, and the dark circles under her eyes had become prominent. What surprised him the most, though, is her blank expression. Even as she looked up to his face, there was nothing, absolutely nothing, behind those usually disarming grey eyes./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Bellatrix let go of Lucius and went to Narcissa, fiercely hugging her. "I'm so sorry, Cissy!" Bellatrix sobbed. "He was just so persistent! Please don't get angry with me!"/em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Lucius made a look of surprise when Narcissa gently stroked Bellatrix's hair. "You may leave now, Bella." Her voice sounded extremely raspy, which made Lucius wonder if maybe Narcissa really was sick all along./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Bellatrix looked at her younger sister then silently nodded, retreating from the room in haste./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Narcissa looked out of the window once more. "What do you want from me, Lucius?" She asked him without facing his figure./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Lucius grabbed her arm and pulled her out of her chair, forcing her down her four-poster bed. He locked her wrists above her head and took a good look at her face. Now that he had a closer view, he could see that her eyes were swollen and puffy, and that her eyes held a barely concealed pain. "What happened, Cissa? Why are you like this?" Lucius asked with a hint of worry in his voice. He has always been a proud man, but it was hard to remember his high-born position when the woman he loves looked so pitiful in front of him./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Narcissa avoided his gaze. "Didn't you hear? I'm sick, Lucius. So it would be best if you stayed as far away from me as you can—"/em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Lucius slammed his lips onto hers, causing Narcissa to make a whimpered sound. /em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em "Was I really that terrible in bed? Is that it?" Lucius uncharacteristically blushed a bit. He was morbidly embarrassed at the thought of not having been good enough in bed for his future wife, although he had read and asked about its intricacies years before they were even together. But it was better he knew now than later, so that he could correct whatever his mistakes were./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Narcissa's eyes started to water. Even in situations like this, Lucius still believed everything was about him. "Please, Lucius, let go of my wrists. You're hurting me," She whispered. Almost immediately, he let her go, and where his hands were a few seconds ago, red marks now appeared on them. He always had trouble with his temper, and when he gets riled up, much like at this very moment, his actions were very unreliable. She had to learn that the hard way./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Narcissa rubbed her wrists gently. "I did not mean to ignore you for such a long time, Lucius," she softly said. Narcissa stood up and went back to the window, but only to stand near it and gaze outside, her eyes landing upon the carefully tended Black grounds. /em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Lucius followed her lead, and when he was directly behind her, he put his arms around her waist. "Please come back to me, Cissa, I don't know how much I can take being away from you for so long," He breathed through her messy hair./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Narcissa blushed but did not move away. "I'll always be yours, Lucius." She took one of his arms entangled around her waists and squeezed it. This was something she had a difficult time accepting, especially after she met Otto. But now he was gone. He had made his decision, and it was time she accepted her fate. She knew, deep in her heart, that family is everything, and that she cannot pull off something as brash as what Otto did, running away from all of this./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em And so, Narcissa faced Lucius, his face still clearly showing worry, but there was also adoration in his eyes. If Narcissa were to be honest with herself, that was how Lucius had always looked at her, ever since they were kids./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em For one month, she had been out of it. She refused to be with someone if that someone was not Otto Bagman. /em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em But as she was face-to-face with Lucius, the boy she'd known all her life, the boy who was not afraid to show his feelings for her in public for everyone to see, the boy who was endlessly possessive but cannot be faulted for it because his family had always made him feel like he was entitled to everything his entire life—Narcissa knew that this was her place. She gently cupped his face and softly kissed him. "Lucius, please, make me feel better," She whispered./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em A small smile escaped from his lips as he led her back to her bed. "As you wish, my love."/em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em. /em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "How was Durmstrang, Otto? Are the boys there truly as big as they say they are?" Bertha giggled. Lucius and Narcissa almost immediately left their compartment as soon as the train stopped, much to his confusion, but he can't help but feel the tension leaving with them as they left. Now it was just him, Bertha, Bellatrix, and Severus. Rodolphus silently crept out of the compartment, probably to avoid the incessant chatter of the two women in front of him. Otto couldn't blame him; he would do the same thing if he didn't have any manners./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He sighed but still managed to put up a smile. "That's just a rumour, Bertha," He stood up to leave, and Bellatrix stood up with him. "I'll walk with you until the exit," She announced./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He looked at her and nodded. Bellatrix had always been the spontaneous one out of the three sisters, so he merely went along with whatever antic she makes, and he was quite sure that this was definitely one of them. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "See you later, Otto!" Bertha giggled. He gave her a slight wave, then the two left the compartment side by side, but he kept a respectful distance from her./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Why did you transfer to Durmstrang?"/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Otto continued to face forward, not wanting to look at her curious eyes. "It wasn't my choice, Bella, you know that. It was my father's idea."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Bellatrix rolled her eyes at that. "That's a poor excuse, Otto, and you know it."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He clenched his teeth before replying. "Will you just leave it alone, Bella?"/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "I hope you don't do anything silly to Cissy, Otto," She said with her fluctuating voice, causing Otto to snap his head to her. Bellatrix merely looked at him with a smug expression. Only a select few know about the relationship he and Narcissa had, and Bellatrix was one of those people. She might have kept their secret, but Bellatrix never hid the fact that she did not like Otto. She knew, she emknew, /emhe wasn't the right one for Narcissa. "She's engaged to Lucius now, and you know that's always been her place. That's her emdestiny. /emAnd now she is none of your business, so I suggest you find somebody else to fuck with," She smiled at him then, a sugary sweet smile pasted on her face./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Otto clenched his jaw, refusing to give in to her bait. He knew she was trying to get him to talk, but he would never give her that satisfaction./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Soon enough they reached the exit, along with the other Hogwarts students. He sighed with relief when she quickly left him for her Slytherin friends, which was predictable enough. Otto ran a hand through his hair in frustration. This was not the way he intended to appear in front of Narcissa after two years of not seeing each other. He did not intend to witness Lucius claim possession over Narcissa in such a greedy manner. Otto began seeing red just at the thought of Lucius touching Narcissa in places only Otto had touched before. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He was supposed to get her to a quiet place, emalone, /emand explain everything to her. He needed her to understand why he left her. He needed her to understand that he still loved her, even if he left her. He needed her to understand that he simply cracked under pressure./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He needed her, period./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em I was only fifteen years old at that time, and I was heir to a vast amount of fortune and all the time in the world, marriage would never even appear in my thoughts, and I wanted my freedom,/em He angrily reasoned in his mind. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" But she had always patiently explained to him her future, that she was bound to marry a pureblood, and that pureblood was most likely to be Lucius Malfoy, unless someone with more wealth or more aristocratic blood was to offer marriage to her. The Malfoys may have more aristocratic blood in their veins, but the Bagmans are known for their excessive wealth. Otto could have had a talk with Narcissa's father and knew he had a very good chance of being approved. But he chose not to propose for Narcissa's hand in marriage. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Instead, he ran away./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He clenched his fists as he slowly made his way towards the castle. emWhat a bitter feeling towards a bitter defeat, /emhe thought. There was no irony there; he simply deserved what he had coming for him./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" And yet, and yet, he was back in Hogwarts. Perhaps a foolish part of him still believed that second chances do exist after all./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Otto!" He looked beside him to see Natalia Wrentior holding his arm with a worried look on her face. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" She searched his face. "Are you all right? Where have you been? You were gone for the entire ride! I hope you didn't go back to this secret girlfriend of yours again! Not that I mind, but we're your friends too you know—"/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Otto gave her a sad smile. "She isn't my girlfriend anymore, Talia."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He knew she was trying her best to look sad, but he saw her eyes light up when he said those words. "Since when?" She asked./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" They had reached the massive doors entering Hogwarts. "Shortly before I left for Durmstrang," He sighed. Natalia Wrentior's a fifth year student from Ravenclaw, like Otto. The two of them were good friends, along with Fabian Prewett, despite the three of them not being in the same year. Otto would probably be closer with them now had he not left Hogwarts for Durmstrang./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Oh, that's… that's too bad," Natalia glanced at him. Many students had already seen Otto inside the train, but now that he was in full view for everyone to see, they had all sorely missed his easily good-looking features. Many, many girls had come up to him before to ask whether he would like to go to Hogsmeade with them over the weekend, but he would always politely refuse them all. Most of the girls gossiped that Otto and Natalia were in a relationship, but had chosen to keep their love life to themselves. Of course, none of them knew of the secret relationship Otto and Narcissa had that lasted for three years. No one had a clue./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Seeing the two of them now as they strode across the hallway on the way to the Great Hall, it wasn't hard to make that presumption. Many Ravenclaw girls were envious of Natalia's long blonde locks, full lips, and curvy figure, but most of all, they went green-eyed with the attention Otto always gave her. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Fabian Prewett caught up with them as they entered the Great Hall. "Where have you been, mate?" He asked Otto./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "I was inside Lucius' compartment," Otto nonchalantly said. Fabian raised his eyebrows but said two of them sat beside each other as they arrived in the table for Ravenclaw, with Natalia sitting across from them./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Why on earth were you there?" Natalia asked as she grabbed a piece of bread./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Otto waved to a few of the other people in their table. "Perhaps he wanted to recruit me," He joked. But that topic was no joking matter at all. Natalia looked at him darkly but wisely chose to not ask anymore questions./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" There have been rumours, even in Durmstrang, or maybe, emmost especially /emin Durmstrang, about the rising of the Dark Lord. Otto knew a lot of the students there secretly wished to become one of the infamous Death Eaters, but Otto stayed far away from all that. Fabian, however, had told him all about it when he came to visit his home during their summer vacation. He innocently mentioned that he overheard a few Slytherins talking about Lucius and his fate to become a Death Eater. Otto did not like that piece of information at all. He worried for Narcissa's future with that troublesome bastard./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Perhapsem," /emFabian broke the silence. "Perhaps Lucius thinks you've got potential to be his friend after all?"br / Natalia laughed at his remark while Otto smacked his friend in the head. "You shut up, you wanker."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Language, please, Mr. Bagman," Professor Flitwick had arrived to their side of the table with a slight frown on his face./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Otto had the grace to bow his head to Ravenclaw's Head of House, despite his very small stature. "I'm sorry, Professor Flitwick." /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He shook his head and smiled. "You're not going to get in any trouble tonight, Mr. Bagman." He looked across the table, where Natalia was sitting. "Ms. Wrentior and Mr. Bagman, if you please, follow me. We have important matters we need to discuss."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Otto looked at Natalia and smiled. So, her prediction was right. He knew were this was going to lead them: the two of them were going to be prefects this year after all, regardless of Otto's two-year absence from Hogwarts./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Otto stood up, along with Natalia, and waved a goodbye to Fabian. The two of them hurriedly followed Professor Flitwick's quickly diminishing figure towards the exit of the Great Hall and to the winding staircase./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "You owe me an order of butterbeer." Natalia whispered to Otto as the three of them stopped in front of a portrait. Otto shrugged at her. "I'll buy you two of those if you're so bloody thirsty." He whispered right back to her./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Natalia glared at him. If Flitwick wasn't in front of them, she would have surely smacked his arm by now. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Flitwick murmured the password, causing the portrait to open, leading to a straight path./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Well," Flitwick smiled at the two students. "Off you go then, kids."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "If I had known that Italian wizards could be emthat /emdreamy, I would have told my parents to go there every summer vacation instead of going to bleary France all the bloody time!" Bertha made a loud sigh. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa's eyes slightly narrowed at Bellatrix. "And how did you find the time to meet these Italian wizards that you speak of, Bella?" Her cold voice cut through the warm air. She wasn't irritated at the fact that she missed the action, but she did not like the fact that Bellatrix did not invite her to escape from all the boring tea parties their mother held in their house in Italy. She and Bellatrix may not have been the closest sisters, but they had the same interests, that is: they believe in blood supremacy. Bellatrix may have taken it up a notch by wanting the eradication of mudbloods, but Narcissa didn't exactly mind if that happened, either. And they were family./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Family trumps everything./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Bellatrix waved her off. "Perhaps someday you'll learn my ways, dear sister." She giggled, with Bertha joining her./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius, who was sitting beside her all this time, but had been talking to Severus who was on his other side, whispered to her ear. "Would you like me to demonstrate to you how the Italian men treat their women?" /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa took a deep breath, then exhaled. "If that is what you wish, Lucius." She smiled at him, even though in her mind she wanted to scream at his face for saying such improper things in public, even if it was only she who heard those words./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" She had perfected this smile already, after years and years of practice. That is, her smile that portrays interest and politeness all at the same time, but betrays none of what she truly feels on the inside. It was a shame, however, that Lucius knew all about her fake smile. There was one other person who could see through her facade, but Narcissa refused to let her mind wander off to those hazelnut eyes./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius gave her a teasing smile before facing Severus once more. So, he was poking fun at her manners once again, that was it./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa reached for his hand under the table and gently squeezed it. Perhaps she should act a bit kinder towards someone who will be her future husband. Narcissa knew that the two had a long, long way before they might see each other eye-to-eye, but sometimes, she was tired of fighting it./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Narcissa, Lucius, Evan!" Professor Horace Slughorn, Slytherin's Head of House, rushed over to their side of the table./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Evan Rosier sat a bit farther from Lucius and Narcissa, but he heard his name nonetheless. "Good evening, Professor Slughorn," Lucius politely greeted the rushing professor. It was no secret that Professor Slughorn had appointed Lucius as Head Boy as it was his final year in Hogwarts, and his academic performance coupled with his position in the Quidditch team were equally astounding. Narcissa would never admit it, but she knew that Lucius deserved the title. He was always a dedicated man, although sometimes he strayed from Narcissa's bed—but that was all her fault, so she never blamed him for any of that./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Please, you three follow me. We're already late as it is!" He gestured for us to stand up, then rushed towards the exit of the Great Hall./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa sent a questioning look towards Lucius. She had a feeling he had some part in whatever this is. "Lucius…" Her voice sounded like a warning./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius merely smiled and pulled her up from her seat. "Didn't you hear the man? We're going to be late." /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" The three of them quickly exited the hall, with Evan silently following behind them. They followed Professor Slughorn without a word, and eventually, the four of them stopped in front of a portrait where two knights were holding each other's shoulders, laughing at something the other knight had said. The two of them gave a friendly wave before laughing once more./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Professor Slughorn murmured something inaudible to them, and the portrait swung open, revealing a path. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Follow me." Slughorn smiled at the three, before stepping inside the path./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius put an arm over Narcissa's shoulder as they followed their Head of House. He bent his head near her ear and whispered. "I'm so tired, Cissa. Can you sleep with me tonight? You know I sleep better when I'm with you."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa avoided his heated gaze. "If you're in your best behaviour tonight, then I will consider it." she quickly whispered to him, worried that someone might overhear them./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" The path led to what appeared to be a common room. It was bigger and grander than the one they had in the dungeons, Narcissa observed. A striking fireplace was set in the wall that was elaborately decorated with exorbitant symbols of each of the houses in Hogwarts. Surrounding the fireplace were three very long couches, all of which looked high-priced. Narcissa approved of this room. Off to the back of room were two winding staircases at each opposite end, and both presumably led to the wizards' and witches' quarters, she guessed./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius led her towards one of the couches to sit down. Professor Slughorn was right; they were indeed late. It would seem that Headmaster Dumbledore had already begun talking to the other students when they entered the grand room, and now that they were all seated, he spoke in continuity as if they had heard his speech before they arrived./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "All of you will be sleeping here from now on. The rooms have already been appointed; two students shall occupy one room. Boys and girls are separated, of course." He winked at all of them. "If any of you have questions, Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Macdonald, our new Head Boy and Girl, will be more than willing to answer them. Have a splendid night, my students!" Dumbledore dubiously smiled, and then retreated from the room, with all the other professors in tow./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius took his hand off her shoulder to stand in front of all the students gathered in the apparent prefects' common room. There were fourteen of them all in all, and Narcissa was mildly surprised that she knew them all. All of them either had aristocratic blood, or belonged to one of the wealthiest families in Europe. From Gryffindor, the prefects were Remus Lupin, Molly Prewett, and Dirk Cresswell; The prefects from Hufflepuff were Emma Vanity, Gideon Prewett, and Eddie Stebbins; The ones from Ravenclaw were Otto Bagman, Natalia Wrentior, and Davey Gudgeon; and lastly, Narcissa, Evan, and Rodolphus were the prefects from Slytherin. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa had to turn her head in a way that, even in her peripheral vision, she would not be able to see Otto. She didn't want to see even a sliver of his hair./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Good evening ladies and gentlemen," Lucius' deep and alluring voice caused everyone to stop talking to listen to him. "My name is Lucius Malfoy, and I will be your Head Boy for this school year. I congratulate you all on being chosen as prefects among the hundreds of students in Hogwarts," He gave Narcissa a smile, but she kept her face stoic. "Tomorrow after class, we will discuss each of your duties in detail, but for tonight, please enjoy your rooms and perhaps, get to know your new roommate."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" With that, he took out a note from one of the pockets in his robe and read its contents out loud. "Here is the list of pairs and trio that will have to share rooms: Narcissa Emma, Natalia Molly, Remus Otto, Dirk Evan, and Rodolphus, Eddie Davey." He folded the note and returned it back to his pocket. "We shall resume the meeting tomorrow. Please, enjoy your new rooms."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Almost immediately, the prefects stood up and made their way up the staircase, surely eager to check out which of the rooms were the best and and quickly put their claim on it. Natalia was dragging Otto by his hand as they were walking up the stairs, but he was blatantly distracted by the fact that Narcissa and him were in the same room and, not even once, did she look his way. He would know, because he could not keep his eyes off her the as soon as she entered the room, even with Lucius' arm around her shoulders./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "C'mon, Bagman, you and your pair are going to get the worst room if you don't hurry up!" Otto snapped his attention back at her and smiled. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "It's just a room, Talia."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Natalia rolled her eyes at him, but reciprocated his smile. "Sometimes, you're such a meek idiot." The two of them laughed at each other, and it was obvious to anyone's eyes the easy friendship the two had./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" When Narcissa felt that most of the students had already gone up, it was only then that she stood up from her seat. She wasn't exactly eager to see her room; nothing in this school could ever compare to grandiose bedroom, so for her, Narcissa's future room would merely be a place where she would sleep./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius went to her side. He didn't move from his position after his announcement, even after most of the students had gotten up from their seats and left. He was only waiting for Narcissa./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He took her hand and guided her towards the staircase and upward, to the rooms. Once in the second floor, the hallway splits into two: the left wing is where the male prefects and Head Boy reside, and the right wing is for the female prefects and Head Girl. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa was about to separate from Lucius to go to her new room, but Lucius tugged on her hand and directed her to the left wing./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Where are you taking me, Lucius?" She asked coolly, but inwardly she was already feeling uneasy./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He gave her a teasing smile but did not reply. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" They reached the end of the hall, with a door in front of them. "One of the many perks of being the Head Boy," Lucius opened the door. "Is that I get to have my own room."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He led her inside his room and closed the door behind him. It wasn't as spectacular as Lucius' own room back at his manor, but it was certainly spacious and quite impressive. Unsurprisingly, green was the predominant colour of the room, and Narcissa instantly felt envious. She knew her room wouldn't be nearly as big as his, and in Hogwarts, this was as grand as it's going to get. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius led her towards a couch facing the fireplace and made her sit on his lap. "This is certainly better than last year, isn't it?" He nuzzled her neck and kissed it./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Last school year, even though it was blatantly against the rules, Lucius always made Narcissa sleep in his room. She didn't like it, of course, because she was afraid her family would find out, but Lucius had been very, very careful, so they were never caught. Lucius had only been a prefect then, meaning he was still sharing his room with someone, so he had to always cast silencing charms so that no one would hear the noises they would make./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa gave him a weak smile. It was useless to keep her face blank with Lucius whenever they're alone. He knew her expressions too much that hiding anything at all would show in her face and that he would definitely catch it. They have become too familiar with one another, and even someone as strong-willed as Narcissa becomes vulnerable towards someone with such a strong connection with her./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius wrapped his arms around her, his hard-muscled arms encircling around her slim waist. "Sleep with me tonight, love." He gently commanded her as he began leaving soft kisses on her neck./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa moved her neck so that he could have better access to it. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Lucius," she murmured. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius leaned back. He narrowed his eyes at her."And why is that?" /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" She sighed and put both her hands on his cheeks. "Because, Head Boy," she reminded him of his position. "I have a new roommate, and she'll worry if I'm not sleeping in my own bed on our first night back in Hogwarts."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius continued to glare at her. "You're lying to me," He seethed. "Is it because that Bagman is back here in Hogwarts?" He forcefully cupped her chin and brought her face close to his. "I did not forget Bella's comments about your relationship with him, Cissa." Lucius then slammed his lips onto hers, making her lips start to bruise./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" She gasped at the sudden force, enabling his tongue to enter into her mouth. Lucius grabbed the back of her head and pulled her in, deepening the kiss even further. Narcissa couldn't contain the whimper that escaped from her mouth, and that prompted Lucius to stop his attack on her lips. "Lucius, please," Narcissa heavily breathed. She was starting to see stars in the background because of how deep that kiss had been. "He was just a friend, Lucius, I promise you." She didn't gaze away from his intimidating eyes, even more so that he was aggravated. She willed away all those memories of him, forced her mind to not think about any of them at that moment. If a memory, any memory of him at all, came across her mind, he would see it through her eyes, and then it will all be over for her./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" His eyes hardened once more. "Go to your room and change. Meet me back here if you're done meeting your new roommate." He gestured for her to stand up since she was still on his lap. Narcissa's voice turned to ice. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "If that is what you wish, Lucius." She stood up, and neatly patted her robes. Lucius stood up after her, then gently trailed his finger down her cheek, making Narcissa flinch. He glared at her because of her reaction before turning his back on her as he went on to get his things. "Don't keep me waiting, love." He waved her off with a hand, presumably dismissing her./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa clenched her teeth and quickly left the room. Once again, Lucius had done his best to humiliate her. She hated, no—she emdespised /emhim. Every single fiber of her being was aching in anger, but she kept her cool. She would not break down in the middle of the hallway, not where anyone would hear her./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" She reached the right wing with ease and spotted a room that now had a label written 'emBlack Vanity'. /emNarcissa could only assume that room to be her new room, so she politely knocked a few times before entering, trying to keep her emotions in check./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" She was right, of course; her room was indeed smaller than Lucius' room. there were two moderate-sized beds at two opposite walls, leaving enough space to move around in between. On one of the beds sat a girl with long brown hair and an eager smile; she looked like she was waiting for Narcissa to come inside their new room./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Hello," the girl said cheerfully, bouncing off the bed. "I'm Emma Vanity!" She reached out a hand./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa shook it politely. "I'm—"/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Narcisa Black, I know! You're the ice princess, are you not? I'm so jealous, you're engaged to Lucius! Oh what a dream!" She sighed. Emma then put both hands on her shoulders, much to Narcissa's disgust at her overfamiliarity. "You must tell me everything about him—you have to! It's only fair, I mean, you're already emengaged /emto him, for Merlin's sake!"/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" She brushed her hands off her shoulders and took a step back to get back her personal space. Narcissa decided that she did not like her new roommate at all. She was loud, and could not shut up about Lucius. Did she have any manners at all? Does she know who she's talking to? Narcissa knew of the Vanitys, they were a pitiful bunch. It's true that their blood is pure, but they're known to be such horrid social climbers that even the usually compassionate Bagmans don't feel any pity for them./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "You emwill not /emtalk to me like that as if we are friends," Narcissa glared at her. "We are not friends, and I don't plan on becoming your friend. You may be a pureblood, but your severe lack of manners is making me want to vomit all over your bed." Emma stepped back in shock at Narcissa's ruthless words. She didn't care; she was angry. Lucius had sparked her anger, and then Emma became the catalyst for Narcissa to unleash her anger on her./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Emma's eyes began to water. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to sound so forward and nosey, it's just I was just so excited to meet someone so popular like you and I didn't know what got over me, I'm so sorry!" She turned her back on Narcissa and ran out of the room. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa sighed. She was finally alone. She took her wand out of her robe and used magic to get everything out of her luggage and into place, but she did so in a hurried place. Narcissa did not want to go back to Lucius' room, but she knew that making him wait will just make it worse for her, so it wasn't worth the risk./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" When everything was all set up and Narcissa had changed into a silk night gown, her hair now neatly tied in a braid, someone knocked on the door./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Thinking it was Emma, she sat on her bed and called out. "You may come in," she commanded./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" It wasn't her—not even close. It was Otto Bagman in the flesh once again. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa suddenly felt conscious of her outfit and straightened her back even further. She was expecting Emma to come in, and Narcissa wanted to apologise to her. She didn't do anything wrong, but she had to be civil towards someone she's going to spend an entire year with, whether she liked it or not./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" But it was Otto who was in front of her, with his hands in his pockets. His hair still a beautiful caramel brown, his eyes an iridescent hazelnut colour. She noticed that he was still wearing the school robes, and wondered why for a second before her thoughts became nothing when their eyes met each other./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He looked like he wanted to devour her; and in that moment, Narcissa was truly scared. She wasn't scared because of the look in his eyes, no; rather, she was scared because she couldn't hide the same look from her face any longer./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Otto," she whispered. He was so close, yet so far—he was standing directly in front of her with only a few inches of space in between them, while Narcissa was still sitting on her bed./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Immediately, she remembered Lucius. Her heart began to race. "You're not supposed to be here!" /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Otto sighed. He chose to sit beside her on the bed, which Narcissa thought was a really terrible idea, now that her heart was beating incredibly fast. "Can I not say hi to an old friend?" He gave her a sweet smile, and it took all of Narcissa's will to not attack him then and there when his signature dimple appeared on his left cheek./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "But we already saw each other… back in the train." Narcissa was in a daze. She felt intoxicated by his nearness after being away from him for so long. She didn't know if she could control herself any longer./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Otto put his hand over hers and kept his head down. "But I miss you." He looked up at her then, his eyes burning her soul./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa couldn't hold it in any longer; she leaned forward and softly kissed him. A barrage of memories started appearing on her mind because of the remembrance of that kiss, making her close her eyes and reminisce about one specific memory./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"./span/p  
p class="p1"strongspan class="s2"2 Years Ago, A Few Months Before The Engagement/span/strong/p  
p class="p2" /p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" em"Otto! Narcissa! Where are you two?" Bagman Sr.'s voice echoed in the hallway as he entered each of the rooms in his humongous manor. He sighed. "Those two must be off in their own world again," he huffed, then deciding to give up on his search. If the two of them wanted to be found, they'll appear before him. He supposed he should just let them be. Besides, they're just teenagers, and his son was a good boy; he wouldn't do anything out of line, especially to the daughter of the esteemed Blacks. He had complete trust over his son's decisions./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Narcissa giggled as Bagman Sr.'s voice disappeared. "This is so silly," she said to Otto, but couldn't contain herself from giggling once more. /em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em The two of them were hidden inside Otto's closet. "Shh, love, shh," Otto tried to shush her, but he couldn't help but chuckle at her unusual behaviour. It was very rare for Narcissa Black to laugh, let alone giggle. /em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Narcissa put her arms around his neck and grinned, although Otto couldn't see it because the closet was pitch dark. "This is so exciting," she whispered to his ear, giving him tingles all around his body./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em He grabbed her by her waist and held it tightly. "Do you know what muggles do when two people are inside of a closet much like this one?" /em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Narcissa momentarily tensed but relaxed when she realised that only she heard what he said. "Will you show me?"/em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Otto smiled devilishly before taking his mouth with hers. She slightly opened her mouth, and his tongue met with hers, engaging in a seductive battle./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em "Mmm," Narcissa moaned. The two suddenly found themselves lying on the floor of his closet, lips still locked on to each other. /em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Otto moved away from her mouth and started kissing her neck, as his hand touched the end of her sun dress, slowly lifting it up./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em "Are we really snogging inside your closet, Otto?" She whispered to him, her breathing erratic./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Her dress was now above her waist, and Otto stopped. "Doesn't this excite you, love?"/em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em His hands went down to her hips, and to her thighs, before slowly moving his left hand upwards. Narcissa grabbed the back of Otto's head and roughly kissed him to stop herself from moaning out loud./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em When his hand found the spot it was looking for, it was already soaking wet. "I suppose this answers my question about you being excited then," He grinned at her./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Otto felt her glare even as they were shrouded in darkness, but he didn't care. He put his fingers on the waistband of her lace panties and swiftly took them off. He started kissing her once more, then let his finger circle around her entrance./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Narcissa gripped his shoulders tightly. "Otto," she whispered to him, and that was all it took. He swiftly thrusted his finger to her, making her back arch in pleasure./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em When he was sure that she was close, he stopped what he was doing and took the entirety of the dress off of her, leaving her with just her bra. Otto quickly took that off, too, leaving Narcissa shivering in her sudden nakedness. He leaned his entire body towards her and whispered in her ear. "Do you need me to warm you up, love?"/em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Narcissa whispered back at him. "I think that you might need to."/em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Otto took off his clothes, and before she knew it, he was also stark naked and towering over her once more. "I love you so fucking much, Narcissa Black. You drive me crazy," He purred, before slamming his entire length inside her./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Narcissa couldn't hold in her gasp; she had to rake her fingers across Otto's back so that she didn't have to shout as much as she wanted to. He kept it in that vigorous pace and did not stop—he had to keep his mouth on Narcissa so that she wouldn't make too much noise./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em When he felt so close to his release, he heard her moan out his name. He closed his eyes and gave her one final thrust before releasing himself inside her./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Otto collapsed beside Narcissa, and both of them were heavily breathing. "That was amazing," Narcissa murmured to him as she cuddled up on his chest. He gave her a lazy smile./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em Narcissa put a hand on his cheek and softly kissed his lips. "I am so helplessly in love with you, Otto Bagman. /em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em "Please don't ever leave my side."/em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"em./em/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Someone knocked on the door, making them both jump away from each other. Otto stood up and went to the other bed with a distraught look on his face. "Come in," Narcissa commanded, but with more steel on her voice this time than before./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" It was Emma, and she looked scared out of her wits. "Narcissa, I—" she stopped her words when she saw Otto near her bed. "Otto? What are you doing here?"/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Otto coughed before offering her an easy smile. "I just dropped by to say hi to an old friend," he said, repeating his words from earlier./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Emma looked between the two of them. "I didn't know you two knew each other before today," she had a confused look on her face. Even when Narcissa and Otto were in a relationship, no one had a clue that they knew each other, let alone that the two were in a relationship that lasted for two years./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Otto walked towards her and patted her shoulder. "Well, now you know, Emma. Good night, ladies," he waved goodbye over his shoulder as he exited the room./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa shivered at the loss of his warmth but nonetheless kept her face cool. "Emma, I should apologise—"/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "No, please, don't. It was all my fault for being nosey." Emma turned away from her, but Narcissa could hear the quiver in her voice. "I promise I won't bother you again, Narcissa."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa sighed. "Just please don't ask anything personal from now on, is that clear?"/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" She whimpered away to her bed. "I won't be rude from now on," she nodded./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" When Narcissa was sure Emma was tucked into her bed, she quietly left the room, making light steps as she made her way towards the room where he would be waiting./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" When she closed the door behind her, the fire was already blazing, but Lucius was leaning against one of the four posters attached to his bed, his entire body facing the door, clearly awaiting her arrival./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa strode across the room, towards where he was, and hugged him so fiercely that Lucius could only return the hug because of his surprise./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Hold me, Lucius," She whispered to him as she felt his hard, muscle-defined body surround her./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius didn't even question it; he let go of her embrace and brought her to his king-sized bed./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" She willed her mind to close and focused on the sensations Lucius were making her feel. She was so frustrated, partly at Otto for appearing in her room like that, but mostly at herself, for falling prey once more to his charms./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" She fell in love with him once; it was so deep that, until now, she still needed time to find her way back to the surface, but she needed to keep her mind focused. She was with Lucius now—she's not going to whore around with Otto knowing she was bound to marry Lucius in a few years. She would never forgive herself if she did that./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" When it was all done, Narcissa's mind and body were exhausted. She felt extraordinarily guilty because she cheated on her fiancé, and she was never good at handling her own guilt. Perhaps that's the reason why she so willingly went into Lucius' arms that night./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "I know something's bothering you, love. You can't hide it from me."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa craned her head to look up at Lucius as she was resting on his chest. The two were completely naked; the only thing covering their bodies was his duvet. "And how are you so sure that it isn't you who's bothering me?" She murmured./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius laughed at her snide remark. "You're feisty tonight, aren't you," he twirled his finger around her black hair. "Basing from the sounds you were making a while ago, I think that you rather enjoy my company." he smirked at her./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He moved a little bit so that the two of them were now face-to-face. "Seriously, love. Tell me what's on your mind." /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" His usually menacing eyes were a gentle blue at that moment, and she knew that she was the only person he showed this side to, and only when they were alone. Her face softened at his concern for her. "It's nothing for you to worry about, Lucius, I assure you."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He didn't respond; he just formed a tight line with his lips. "Do you not trust me, Lucius?" She raised an eyebrow at him./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "I do," he slowly said. "But I'm unsure if you've been completely forthright with me, love, that's all."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa was annoyed that his eyebrows were all scrunched up, so she used her fingers to ease them out. "What do you mean, Lucius?" He smiled at her gesture. Narcissa was never one for romantic gestures, not even the little things, but, even before then, she always liked to run her fingers over his eyebrows to stop him from scrunching them together. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "I wish you had told me about Otto Bagman. I felt like a fool back in the train," he mumbled. If he wasn't so spent from what they just did he would definitely release a bit more of a tantrum on her. "You never mentioned his name back then, not even once."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa couldn't help but chuckle at him. "Stop pouting!" she laughed softly at this creature who was lying beside her who could not possibly be Lucius. "I didn't tell you about him because I knew you would drive him away, and he was the only other one my mother let me be hang out with." It was easier to lie this time, because she was giving him half of the lie and the truth./span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius was still unhappy, being the possessive boy that he was. Narcissa kissed him on the lips. "You're my fiancé, not him. So please stop frowning, Lucius."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" He sighed, giving in. "You know how I am, love, but why do you still torture me like this?"/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Narcissa wrapped an arm around him and cuddled closer to him. "Go to sleep, Head Boy. We have classes and emduties /emtomorrow, if you will remember."/span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" Lucius chuckled. "Yes, emprefect, /emI am perfectly aware of my duties as the Head Boy. I am also perfectly, as your fiancé, of how beautiful you are bathed in moonlight, so how could I close my eyes when such you're such a sight to behold?"br / Already used to his sweet words, Narcissa only rolled her eyes. "Good night, Lucius." He kissed the top of her head. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "Good night, Cissa. /span/p  
p class="p1"span class="s2" "I love you."/span/p  
p class="p3" /p  
p class="p1"span class="s2"Reviews are very much appreciated! x/span/p  
p class="p3" /p  
p class="p2" /p  
p class="p3" /p  
p class="p3" /p  
p class="p3" /p 


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